World War II soldiers' letters home compiled for new book

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Soldiers stationed overseas, particularly in wartime, know the hunger for a taste of home, the longing for a connection with loved ones and the uplifting spirit brought by news about their hometowns.

Homefront, a magazine based in Bangor from 1942 to 1945, sought to provide all of that by giving servicemen and women from the Slate Belt local news and information that was not covered by national publications.

Soldiers stationed around the world detailed their appreciation for the magazine and its publishers in thousands of letters.

Several people associated with the Slate Belt Heritage Center and Homefront for the Slate Belt are sorting more than 4,000 letters and postcards that were sent by soldiers and their families to the journal's publishers.

Husband-and-wife team Horace and Mona Strunk founded the magazine that eventually reached 7,000 servicemen from the Lehigh Valley region. Horace Strunk was drafted in 1943 and Mona Strunk kept the publication running in his absence.

Edmund "Chip" Turtzo, of Bangor, helped organize Homefront for the Slate Belt in 1995 to celebrate the magazine's 50th anniversary. Turtzo gathered with World War II veterans and began speaking with them and writing down the stories of their war experiences.

In 2001, a woman contacted Turtzo and handed over boxes of letters from servicemen who had written to the magazine. Turtzo held on to the letters for years until heritage center members Karen Brewer and Marc Blau contacted him.

Blau, who taught history for more than 30 years in the Bangor Area School District, and Brewer made plans with Turtzo to document the letters and read through them.

They said they realized the content of the letters were of historical importance and should be compiled into a book.

"As time goes on," Turtzo said, "these things become more and more of a treasure trove."

The group enlisted the help of Deanna McCaa Ruzanski, who co-authored a book on Jewish heritage in the Slate Belt. Ruzanski has been helping to scan and create a digital catalog of the letters.

Many of the letters contain historical gems like detailed discussion of 1940s boot camp or harrowing war stories, Blau said.

"I was kneeling there tense as could be when all of a sudden came the cry 'over the top' and at that very minute the .30-caliber machine guns opened up and land mines began to explode around us," reads a letter dated July 2, 1943, from Donald Jones, then a serviceman and now a local historian.

Many of the letters are inquiries and appreciation for coverage of events in Bangor and the surrounding area, Blau said.

A highlight in the magazine for servicemen was the update on the annual Thanksgiving high school football game between rivals Bangor and Pen Argyl, according to Brewer.

"It was paramount that they knew about the outcome of that game," Brewer said.

However, the biggest appreciation by the young men was for the "Fairest of the Month" section, according to Blau.

The magazine featured photographs and information about two or three local girls each month. Many soldiers' letters asked for ways to contact the women, which occasionally led to romantic connections and even marriages, Brewer said.

Turtzo said he has contacted the Library of Congress for leads on similar magazines. He said Homefront, with its specific local content being shipped around the world, is the only publication of its kind.

The group is reading through the letters and cataloging which should be included in the book. The process will take several months and the group said they encourage volunteers to join them to find book-worthy excerpts.

They meet at the Slate Belt Heritage Center, 30 N. First St. in Bangor, from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Volunteers are encouraged to walk in or call Karen Brewer at 610-588-8615.